The present invention relates to a method for accessing an exchangeable supply pack in a beverage dispensing machine. The present invention further relates to a beverage dispensing system comprising an exchangeable supply pack and a beverage dispensing machine. The present invention still further relates to a computer program product comprising a program for control of a programmable beverage dispensing system.
It is well known that beverage dispensing machines make use of beverage-related liquid substances that are used in the preparation of a beverage for a user. The liquid substance may include but are not limited to coffee extracts, tea extracts, chocolate beverages, milk, flavors, juices, and/or concentrates thereof. The beverage-related liquid substances are supplied to the dispensing machines in exchangeable supply packs. An example of such an exchangeable supply pack includes a bag-in-box pack. Since a dispensing machine will typically carry a range of exchangeable supply packs a heavily used dispensing machine will need to be frequently re-stocked.
WO2011037464 discloses an exchangeable supply pack and a beverage dispensing system comprising an exchangeable supply pack and a beverage dispensing machine.
The exchangeable supply pack includes a housing, and located within the housing, a container for accommodating a beverage-related liquid substance and a dosing pump (doser); a drive port via which a driving torque may be delivered to the dosing pump; and a liquid outlet port via which the liquid substance may be expelled from the cartridge.
As indicated above, liquid substances accommodated in the container may be one of various kinds having mutually different hydraulic properties. The difference in hydraulic properties in particular influences the bringing into use of a new exchangeable supply pack. In this initial operational mode of the system a first amount of the liquid substance has to be transported from the container into the pump before the new supply pack is suitable for reliable and controlled delivery of the particular liquid substance in a subsequent normal operational mode of the system. During the normal operational mode of the system the liquid substance serves as a coolant for the pump, and additionally as lubricant between mutually moving parts.
During the initial operational mode, wherein a liquid substance is not yet present, heat being developed in the dosing pump resulting from a friction between the mutually moving parts may result in damages of the dosing pump.